Sequential card sorting apparatus

ABSTRACT

A sequence sorter is capable of rapidly sorting and grouping cards in numerical or alphabetical order or other predetermined sequence and is specifically adapted for use in connection with a centrifugal sorting device in which selected cards may be displaced from the storage tray into a supplementary tray, grouped together and replaced in the storage tray in a rapid succession of steps and in a minimum of time.

finite States Patent 1 [111 3,712,467

Barnes I 1 Jan. 23, 1973 I SEQUENTIAL CARD SORTING FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS APPARATUS Inventor: Douglas W. Barnes, Denver, Colo.

Assignee: Littlcomputers, Inc., Denver, Colo.

Filed: Oct. 26, 1971 Appl. No.: 192,652

US. Cl. ..209/l 10.5 Int. Cl ..B07c 5/34 Field of Search ..209/80.5,110, 110.5

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS l/l970 Barnes ..209/1 10 596,4137/1959 Italy ..209/l 10.5

Primary Examiner-Allen N. Knowles Assistant Examiner-Gene A. ChurchAltorneyReilly and Lewis [57] ABSTRACT A sequence sorter is capable ofrapidly sorting and grouping cards in numerical or alphabetical order orother predetermined sequence and is specifically adapted for use inconnection with a centrifugal sorting device in which selected cards maybe displaced from the storage tray into a supplementary tray, groupedtogether and replaced in the storage tray in a rapid succession of stepsand in a minimum of time.

14 Claims, 17 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJAN 23 1915 SHEET 1 0F 3SEQUENTIAL CARD SORTING APPARATUS This invention relates to novel andimproved method and apparatus for sequentially sorting and groupinginformation cards; and more specifically relates to a method andapparatus for sorting punch cards in a centrifugal card sortingapparatus without removal of the punch cards from the apparatus.

Various card sorting systems have been devised for handling punch cardsand for selective removal of punch cards from a stack of cards, andcustomarily are employed in the selective removal of cards containingthe same desired information. For example, in U. S. Letters Patent No.3,490,588 granted to applicant of this invention, there is set forth anddescribed a unique method and apparatus for centrifugally sorting cardsin which the cards are contained in card-receiving receptacles mountedfor rotation about a common shaft. The cards are conventionally of thetype having openings along one or more edges, the openings being alignedand stacked together in the storage receptacles to permit insertion ofsorting needles. Selective openings are notched in each card torepresent particular information so that when the receptacles arerotated or spun only those cards having notches aligned with theinserted sorting rods will be removed and separated to fall away fromthe remainder of the cards into a storage bin beneath the receptacle. Inmany applications it is desirable to permit selective sorting of thecards in specific numerical or alphabetical order or other predeterminedsequence; and when selected cards are removed from the stack and arelater to be replaced back into the stack in the same order, it isextremely time-consuming and tedious to manually replace each card inits proper order, particularly in handling a large number of cards.

Although other systems are commercially available and in use forsequentially sorting cards into their proper order, in accordance withthe present invention, it is proposed to provide a unique, highlysimplified system for sequentially sorting cards in centrifugalcardsorting apparatus of the type set forth and disclosed in theafore-mentioned patent. In this relation it is proposed to provide aunique method and means which involves addition of a minimum ofauxiliary equipment to handle the cards for sequential sorting with aminimum of handling and in'the least possible number of steps whileassuring greatly increased accuracy and efficiency in sorting andreplacing the cards in order. However, while the present invention isspecifically intended for use in connection with centrifugal cardsorting apparatus it will become apparent from the follow-. ing detaileddescription ofa preferred form that it is readily conformable for usewith other card sorting apparatus such as those of the vibrating orshaking type.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide for anovel and improved method and apparatus for sequentially sorting cards.

It is another object of the present invention to provide for an improvedmethod and apparatus for sequentially sorting cards in a centrifugalcard sorting apparatus without necessitating complete removal of thecards from the receptacles.

A further object of the present invention is to provide for a novel andimproved apparatus which is capable of cooperating with existing cardsorting apparatus and is readily attachable thereto to permit selectivesorting and stacking of cards in direct proximity to the receptaclescontaining the cards whereby to minimize damage to the cards as well ashandling of the cards in removal from the apparatus.

In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide in acard sorting apparatus for an auxiliary tray which is cooperative withthe apparatus permit selective removal of selected cards or groups ofcards, collection of the cards within the tray and replacement indesired order back into the stack in a minimum number of steps withoutremoval from the housing for the apparatus.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a noveland improved method for sequentially sorting punch cards contained incentrifugal card sorting apparatus whereby the cards are rapidly groupedinto predetermined order in a rapid succession of steps and utilizingthe apparatus to separate the cards as a step in the method.

The present invention resides in sequentially sorting and groupingcards-in exact numerical or other desired sequence and in its preferredembodiment resides in a method of sorting'and grouping cards in acentrifugal card sorting apparatus of the type set forth and describedin said United States Letters Patent No. 3,490,588. The cards are storedin one or more receptacles which are mounted for high-speed rotation ona common shaft, and each receptacle is separated or partitioned off bydivider plates. In the manner described in said patent, sorting isaccomplished by inserting the selector rods through selectedcombinations of aligned openings in the cards. In sequentially sortingthe cards in numerical order, the cards'are selectively notchedaccording to a numerical code, such as, the 7-4-2-1 code into units,tens, one-hundreds; and, in handling a substantial number of cards, suchas, on the order of one thousand, the cards most desirably are firstsub-divided or broken down into smaller groups for ease of handling andthen are sub-divided and broken down into the hundreds field so that thecards in each hundreds group from 0 to and from 100 to 1000 are stackedtogether. Thereafter the cards in each hundreds group are sequentiallysorted into correct numerical sequence. In following the 7-4-2-1 codefor sequence sorting under the'method of the present invention selectorrods are passed in order through the coded positions in the cards and,in a rapid succession of steps, when the selector rods have been placedin each coded position, the cards are rotated and those having alignednotches receiving the rods are separated and thrown outwardly into anauxiliary tray in confronting relation to the storage receptacle for thecards. In each separation, the machine is braked at a position in whichthe auxiliary tray is in an upwardly facing position. Those cardsseparated are grouped or tipped or inclined in one direction at one endof each divided area of the tray, and the cards remaining in thereceptacle are grouped and tipped in the opposite direction in eachdivided area of the receptacle..The cards in the auxiliary tray are thenreleased and returned to. the main receptacle so as to group togetherthose numbers common to the first code position. The selector rods areadvanced to the next code position and the same sequence repeated untilthe cards are grouped in proper numerical order in each divided portionof the receptacle.

In the preferred apparatus of the present invention, the auxiliarysequence tray is provided with divider plates closely aligned with thedivider plates in the main storage receptacle and the auxiliary tray ispivotally attached tothe maincard storage receptacle. When the machineis under rotation, the auxiliary tray is affixed to the main receptacle,and after the main receptacle has been rotated a sufficient number oftimes to insure complete separation of the cards selected into theauxiliary tray, a button is depressed which through a latch relay andassociated braking mechanism automatically stops the machine with theauxiliary tray in a down" or upwardly facing position. Gripping means onthe auxiliary tray are activated to engage those cards removed and thetray rotated into a position in which it can be moved pivotally awayfrom the main receptacle into an open position to permit access to theremoved cards. Those cards in each division of the auxiliary tray aretipped in one direction, and those in the corresponding divisions of themain receptacle tipped in the opposite direction and the auxiliary traygradually pivoted back toward its closed position until the separatedcards are partially inserted and overlapping the cards in the mainreceptacle. As this point, the tray is returned to a fully closedposition with the main receptacle and the gripping means are released.Grouping and stacking of the removed cards may be aided by use of astacking plate assembly which is brought into alignment with eachdivision of the auxiliary tray and advanced in a longitudinal directionto group the separated cards together at one end of each division as apreliminary to return to the closedposition. As the auxiliary tray isreturned to a closed position the plate assembly is slowly removed so asto clear the tray prior to its return to a fully closed position.Thereafter the selector rods may be advanced to the next code positionand the releasable gripping means released for the next sequentialstage. Accordingly in a minimum number of steps and with a minimum ofhandling and without removal of the cards from the apparatus the cardsmay be rapidly sorted into proper numerical order.

The above and other objects, advantages and features of the presentinvention will become more readily understood and appreciated from aconsideration of the following detailed description when taken togetherwith the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view in elevation of the outer-housing forming a partof the preferred form of card sorting apparatus.

FIG. 2 is an end view in elevation of the housing shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an opposite end view in elevation of the housing shown in FIG.1.

FIG. 4 is an end view illustrating a portion of the drive transmissionfor rotation of the card-sortingtray, the auxiliary sequence tray beingshown in the closed position.

,FIG. 5 is an end'view showing in more detail the drive mechanism forthe card-sorting tray, the sequence tray being shown in theopenposition.

FIG. 6 is a view in more detail of the mounting of the card sorting andsequence trays on a common drive shaft.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view-of the sequence tray.

FIG. 8 is a front view of the sequence tray.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are fragmentary views in more detail of one end of asequence tray with the notch rod shown in an open position in FIG. 9 andin a closed position in FIG. 10, respectively.

FIG. 11 is a front view in detail of one of the divider plates in thesequence tray.

FIG. 12 is a schematic view of the motor drive unit and braking systemfor the card sorting apparatus.

FIG.-13 is a perspective view of a stacking plate assembly employed insequencing cards.

FIGS. 14, 15 and 16 illustrate in sequence movement of the cards fromthe storage tray to the sequence tray, grouping of the removed cards andreturn of the cards to the storage tray; and

FIG. 17 is a view illustrating a series of conventional punch cardsmodified for use in the card sorting apparatus of the present invention.Referring in more detail to the drawings, there is shown by way ofillustrative example in FIGS. 1 to 5 a card sorting apparatus 10 havingan outer generally rectangular housing 12 mounted on casters l3 andwherein the housing includes front and rear panels 14 and 15,respectively, together with end panels 16 and 17. A circular wall 19extends between the front and rear panels 14 and 15 to form the lowerwall of the card sorting area. The front panel includes an upper openingacross the upper open end in which is disposed a slide window 18 acrossthe front of the card sorting area, between open and closed positions. Ahinged door 20 forms a part of the end panel 17 which can be opened whendesired to permit access to the ends of the storage and sequence trays.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 9, a pair of corresponding receptacles Rand R are mounted on diametrically opposed sides of a common drive shaft22, the latter being driven through a suitable power transmission drivewhich includes a drive or power transmission belt 23 trained over pulley24 on the drive shaft and at its opposite end is trained over drivepulley 25 which is keyed to the motor drive shaft for motor M. Oppositeends'of the receptacle drive shaft suitably may be journaled in shaftbearings 26in opposite end supports, not shown, inwardly of the endpanels 16.and l7, and the motor drive and power transmission system aremounted in the housing beneath the card sorting area. As shown thedriveshaft 22 is disposed at a height such that the receptacles R and Rare positioned thereon for extension across the interior of the housingdirectly opposite to the across window 18.

As best seen from FIGS. 6 to 8, each of the receptacles R and R'iscorrespondingly made up of end plates 28 and 29 joined toa bottom wall30 the latter being attached to channel members 27 by suitable fasteners27' so as to form a generally box-shaped frame which is rigidlyattached, such as, by welding to the drive shaft 22. Guide strips 32extend longitudinally betweenthe end plates 28 and 29 along oppositesides of the receptacles and are connected to divider plates 33 whichextend transversely of the receptacles at equally spaced intervals todivide the receptacles into a series of compartments C. The receptaclesR and R' are positioned on opposite sides of the drive shaft 22 and areaffixed in counterbalancing relation to one another for rotation withthe shaft under control of the motor drive circuit. Preferably, thereceptacle R serves as a storage receptacle for the cards to be-sorted,and the receptacle R serves merely as a dummy receptacle tocounterbalance the weight of the receptacle R. In this relation, asuitable mass or weight may be utilized in place of the receptacle R asa counterbalancing means.

The guide plates 32 are spaced above the bottom wall 30 and their upperor outer edges are substantially flush with the top edges of the dividerplates. The spacing between the guide plates 32 is such that the punchcards may be stacked on edge in each of the compartments with the longersides of the cards just fitting therebetween. If desired, the dividers33 may be slidably disposed within the receptacles, as described andshown in the aforesaid US. Pat. No. 3,490,588 to vary the size of eachcompartment for insertion of a card. However, for a purpose to bedescribed, the dividers 33 preferably are stationarily positioned withinthe receptacles to form equally spaced and equal sized compartments. Asshown in FIG. 17, each of the punch cards to be deposited in thereceptacle R has a series of openings 34 which may extend along one orboth of the longitudinal edges of the card, and relatively large notchesor cutouts 35 are formed in opposite side edges of the cards immediatelyadjacent to the lower or both rows of openings and in alignment with oneanother. In accordance with conventional practice, each opening 34formed in the card may represent a unit of information, and each card iscoded by placement of marginal notches 34 at selected openings torepresent such information. Thus, as represented in FIG. 17, each cardis coded to represent a particular number. In a 7-4-2 l code asillustrated, selected cards numbered from 1 through 999 would be notchedto represent particular numbers as illustrated. With at least tencompartments formed in the storage receptacle, those cards from 0 to 100may be placed in one compartment and those cards in the hundred groupsfrom 100 to 900 are placed in the remaining nine compartments in theorder illustrated in FIG. 6. The end panels 28 and 29 are each providedwith a plurality of openings 36 each equal in number .and spacing to theopenings 34 along the edge of each card, and corresponding openings areformed in each of the divider plates 33. Thus, whenthe cards are placedin the compartments, the openings in the cards are aligned with oneanother and with the openings in the divider plates 33 and end walls 28and 29. Sorting rods or needles 37 are inserted through one or more ofthe openings 36 in the end wall 29 and through the aligned openings ineach of the cards and the divider plates, the sorting rods being of alength to pass through each of the compartments and through the oppositeend wall 28. Placement of the rods 37 is of course dictated by theinformation categories or numbers selected and, for this purpose, theend plate 29 will have its openings identified by suitable labels ormarkings to conform to the identity of theopenings in the cards. Whenthe receptacles are rotated by the motor drive system, those cardshaving marginal notches aligned with the sorting rods or needles passingthrough the cards will under the centrifugal forceim-- parted byrotation of the receptacles be thrown outwardly away from thereceptacles for collection beneath the sorting apparatus along the wall,all as described in the aforesaid US. Pat. No. 3,490,588. Again, underhigh speeds of rotation, the opposite receptacle R' merely serves as acounterbalancing member and may be filled with a dummy set of cards oras previously mentioned may have any suitable counterbalancing weight tocounterbalance the rotation of the receptacle R.

As further illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 10, the auxiliary sequence tray 38forms a removable closure over the card storage receptacle R and is soconstructed and arranged as to cooperate with the receptacle in sequencesorting of the cards without removal of the cards from the housing. Tothis end, the tray 38 is generally rectangular and is comprised ofopposite end walls 39 and 40 joined to a common bottom wall 42. A seriesof divider plates 44 are mounted at equally spaced intervals throughoutthe length of the tray, the divider plates corresponding in number andspacing to the plates 33 in the storage receptacles and being slightlyoffset therefrom in order to permit movement of the divider plates intooverlapping contacting relation to the plates 33 when the sequence tray38 is in the closed position.

As shown in FIG. 11, each divider plate 44 includes a foot 45 in theform of an angle member which is permanently attached to an end of theplate 44 and to the inner surface of the wall 42 so as to support thedivider plate in a vertical or upright disposition within the tray. Theopposite free end of each divider plate 44 is provided with a curved tab46 which as illustrated in FIGS. 14 to 16 is engageable with the outerend of each divider plate 33 to guide the divider plate 44 downwardlyalong'one side of the each complementary divider plate 33.In'additiomeach divider plate 44 is recessed as indicated at 47 to formopposite side portions 48 and the outer edge of each side portion 48 isnotched or cut out as at 49 to correspond with the cut-out portions 35on the punch cards.

The sequence tray 38 has four connecting ears 50 on opposite sides ofeach of the end walls 39 and 40 and which have openings 50' thereinwhich are adapted to be aligned with openings 52in the upper corners ofthe end plates 28 and 29. When so aligned, the tray is affixed to thereceptacle R by passing a pair of connecting rods 53 through alignedopeningsonopposite sides to secure the tray in a fully closed positionover the receptacle R as further shown in FIG. 4. In the alternative,asshown in FIG. 5, by removal of one of the rods 53 the tray is free tobe pivoted about the other rod 53 into an open position.

' Additionally, the tray includes sets of spring-loaded roller pairs 54mounted in slots 55 in each of the four corners of the tray justinwardly of the openings 50' for the connecting rods 53. As best seenfrom FIGS. 9 and 10, each set of roller pairs is arranged in spacedfacing relation to the other pair, and the-rollers in eachpair arenormally urged into contacting relation to one another by a compressionspring 56. A side edge control or notch rod 58 extends through the spacebetween each set of roller pairs on a common side and traverses the fulllength of the tray. Each side edge control rod 58 is movable sideways ina direction transversely of the length of the tray by pressing betweenone or the other of the roller pairs. Accordingly, the rods 58 on eachside can be pressed inwardly between the inner rollers to enter aninside slot 59 in which position the rod will be inserted within thecut-out portions 49 on the divider plates in the tray; or the rods canbe pressed outwardly through the outer pair of rollers and into anoutside slot 60 away from the guide slots or cut-outs 49. As a result,when the sequence tray 38 is in a closed position and the cards havebeen rotated to force selected cards with their marginal notches alignedwith the sorting rods away from the stack, they will enter the tray 38with their side cut-outs 35 aligned with the cutouts 49 in the dividerplates 44. By stopping the machine in a position such that the sequencetray is beneath the storage receptacle R the cards will remain inalignment with the cut-outs 49 at which point the side edge control rods58 may be pressed inwardly through the inner roller pairs into the slots35 and 49 of the cards and supplementary divider plates 44,respectively. When the tray is then turned approximately 180 to aposition above the storage receptacle and the cards are directeddownwardly, or upside down, the cards will be held in place by the sideedge control rods 58. Upon removing a rod 53 on one side of the tray 38,the tray is then free to be pivoted outwardly about the other rod 58 tothe open position as shown in FIG. 5.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4, and 12, the receptaclesR and R are undercontrolled rotation by the motor drive circuit which includes main leads62 and 63 from an electrical source, a safety switch 64, and an onswitch 65 and off switch 66. The switches 65 and 66 have electromagneticcoils 67 and 68,'respectively, to control movement of a contact arm 69adjacent to a contact 70. When the coil 67 is energized by closure ofthe safety switch 64 and on switch 65 and the arm 69 closes the circuitthrough contact 70 to energize the motorM and a brake solenoid 72. A cam74 is keyed for rotation to the drive shaft 22 and has a riser portion75 engageable with the micro-switch 76 to close same at a predeterminedpoint in each revolution of the drive shaft 22. If the off" side of theswitch is closed when the microswitch 76 is closed the coil 68 isenergized to open the contact 69 and deenergize the motor M and solenoid72.

As best seen from FIG. 5, a brake includes a brake drum 78 keyed to themotor drive shaft 22, the drum being in the form of a pulley whichreceives a brake band 80. One end 81 of the brake band 80 is anchored toa stationary part of the housing 12 adjacent to an armature 82 normallyspaced from the end of the solenoid 72. The opposite end 84 of the bandis attached to a rod 85 which passes through one end of a rocker arm 86and through a coiled spring 87. The rod 85 has a threaded end engaged byan adjustment screw 88 to regulate the tension of the spring 87 actingagainst the end of the rocker arm 86. When the solenoid 72 is energizedit will attract the armature 82 to pivot the brake band 80, when thesolenoid 72 is deenergized the rocker arm is pivoted to draw the brakeband against the drum by overcoming the urging of the spring 87.

In use, when the motor M is activated by closing on switch 65, the.motor M and solenoid 72 are energized and the motor drive shaft as wellas the receptacle drive shaft will rotate continuously to spin thereceptacle the desired number of times. When it is desired to stop themotor drive, the off" switch is depressed but not until the microswitchis closed by the cam 74 and both the motor M and brake solenoid 72 aredeenergized. Again, when the solenoid is deenergized the armature 82 isdrawn against the solenoid 72 to pivot the rocker arm and tighten thebrake hand against the brake drum so as to stop the drive shaft in aposition with the sequence tray in an upwardly facing or down" position.Conversely, when the on switch is closed the solenoid is deenergized andthe brake band is loosened or released under the urging of the spring87.

Following a typical sequence of operation in sequence sorting, as eachselected group of cards is separated from the storage receptacle andadvanced into the tray 38, the motor is turned off and the tray willstop automatically in the down position so that the separated cards areupright and will remain in desired alignment in the tray. In otherwords, the cards separated would advance from the position shown in FIG.14 to that illustrated in FIG. 15. The side edge control rods are thenmanually advanced inwardly into the notches 35 and hold the cards inplace. The tray is then rotated upwardly one-half a revolution to an upposition as shown in FIG. 4. When the sequence tray is then pivoted toan open position as shown in FIGS. 5 and 15, the cards will again faceupwardly.

Those cards separated in each compartment may then be tipped in onedirection while flipping the cards remaining in the storage tray in theopposite direction as illustrated in FIG. 15. The cards in eachcompartment of the sequence tray may be advanced simultaneously by useof stacking plate assembly which includes a common bar or handle 102 anda plurality of shifter plates 103 attached at equally spaced intervalsto the bar by angle members 104. The spacing between plates correspondsto the spacing between plates 44 in the sequence tray, and a curved tab105 at the outer free end of the each plate facilitates ease of movementof the assembly 100 into each compartment between the cards and thedivider plates 44 in the sequence tray. Upon insertion of the controlplates 103 into the compartment spaces the bar 102 may be grasped andadvanced lengthwise of the tray to shift the cards in the desireddirection. The sequence tray then may be gradually pivoted back towardsthe closed position until the edges of the separated cards begin tooverlap those cards remaining in the storage tray at which time theshifter plate assembly 100 may be gradually removed as the tray isadvanced into the closed position. Once closed, the opposite attachmentrod is reinserted and the notch rods or side edge control rods areshifted laterally to an open position to release the cards.

As a preliminary to describing typical card sequencing operations,reference is made to the punch cards illustrated in FIG. 18 which asdescribed have equally spaced openings 34 and notches 34' placed atselected intervals in accordance with a predetermined code. Althoughconventional punch cards are employed, they are modified in two respectsin order to conform to the card sequencing operation of the presentinvention: First,rela tively large notches 35 are formed on-oppositesides of the cards. Secondly, duplicate marginal notches 34" are formedin cards having numbers represented by a single notch 34, such as thenumber 1. In this way, at least two sorting needles are inserted throughthe card stack to better support the cards not to be separated duringthe spinning operation.

As hereinbefore described, in handling a substantial number of cards forexample on the order of 1000 cards, they may be separated into groups of100 which are placed in each of the compartments. After a number ofsorting operations, when it is desired to. sequence the cards back intoproper order, generally the cards may be subdivided first to place thecards in each number group in the same compartment, then further brokendown to place the cards in each compartment in proper numbered order.Where the cards are numbered according to the 7-4-2-1 code, aconventional technique may be followed in sequence sorting as describedin Bulletin S-605 of McBee, Automated Business Systems Division ofLitton Industries.

Briefly, it will be noted that each group of cards in a series, that is,0-100, 100-199, 200-299, etc. is stored in a separate compartment andfor breakdown sorting of the cards into their grouping those whichrequire a single sorting rod; namely, those in the l, 2, 4, and 7hundred groups, are collected in the left or inner receptacle R as shownin FIG. 6. Those that require two or more sorting rods, i.e. the 3, 5,6, 8, 9 hundred series are grouped in the right or near end of thereceptacle R closest to the end of insertion of the rods. In this way, ashort rod may be inserted through the latter group to retain them inplace while the former l, 2, 4, 7" group is being sorted. In eachsorting step the safety switch 64 is closed and the start switch 65closed to energize motor M and brake solenoid 72 to initiate spinning ofthe cards. After the cards are spun for several revolutions to assurecomplete separation of those cards having notches aligned with thesorting needles, the stop switch 66 is closed to close the latch relaycoil 68. When the cam 74 engages the contact 76 to close the relay thebrake solenoid 72 is activated to draw the brake band 23 against thedrum and stop the card sorting receptacles with the sequence tray 38 inthe down or upwardly facing position after moving the rods 58 inwardly.The card receptacles and tray are then revolved one-half a turn, or 180,to an up position as illustrated in FIG. 4. The tray 38 is then pivotedto the open position shown in FIG. 5. As earlier described, those cardsseparated into the tray 38 are tipped in one direction and the cards onthe receptacle R are tipped in the opposite direction to group the cardsseparated and sequenced for return to one end of a compartment in thereceptacle R. With the air of the stacking plate assembly 100, the cardsare returned to the receptacle for the next sequencing step, and theoperation is repeated the requisite number of times to completelysequence the cards.

It will be evident that the tray 38 may be used in cooperation with thereceptacle R for separating operations other than sequencing. Thus,cards to be separated in each spinning operation may be received by thetray 38 and removed after pivoting the tray to the open position shownin FIG. 5. In this relation, the tray is so aligned with the windowpanel as to swing or pivot outwardly toward the window opening forremoval of the cards from the tray. Normally the window panel is closedduring the spinning operation, and most desirably the safety switch 64is opened when the window pane] is opened in order to turn off themotor. It will be further evident that the stacking plate assembly 100may form a unitary part of the tray 38 simply by slidably positioningthe control bar 102 in the bottom of the tray beneath the divider plateswith each stacking plate 103 extending outwardly into a compartment toone side adjacent to a divider plate. Longitudinal movement or shiftingof the control bar 102 will then cause the stacking places to advancetoward the divider plate on the opposite side of each compartmentcarrying the separated cards with them.

It is therefore to be understood that the foregoing description of apreferred form of the present invention illustrates that variousmodifications and changes may be made in the specific design,construction and arrangement of mechanism employed in the presentinvention without departing from the spirit and scope of the presentinvention.

What is claimed is:

1. In card sorting apparatus for sorting cards of the type havingmarginal openings and selected marginal notches wherein each cardincludes the same aggregate number of notches and openings equallyspaced along the edge, the cards being stacked on edge in a receptaclehaving guide openings aligned with the openings and notches in the cardsfor insertion of one or more sorting rods therethrough, divider meansdividing the receptacle into a plurality of card-receiving compartments,means for imparting a directional force to the cards to cause the cardshaving the sorting rods passing through the notches only to be advancedoutwardly through the receptacle away from the stacked cards, theimprovement comprising:

an auxiliary receptacle secured to the main card receptacle and providedwith divider means forming card-receiving compartments aligned oppositeto the compartments in the main receptacle, said auxiliary receptaclemovable between a closed position in facing relation to the mainreceptacle whereby the cards separated from the compartments in the mainreceptacle will be received in aligned compartments of the auxiliaryreceptacle and an open position permitting access to the separated cardsin the auxiliary receptacle and through the main receptacle.

2. ln apparatus for sequentially sorting cards according to claim 1 saidauxiliary receptacle corresponding in length and width to the mainreceptacle and being pivotally attached to the main receptacle.

3. In apparatus according to claim 2, a housing for said main andauxiliary receptacles, said housing including a window opening extendingin spaced parallel relation to the axis of rotation of said receptacle,said auxiliary receptacle being movable from a closed position withinthe housing to an open position extending outwardly through the windowopening.

4. In apparatus according to claim 1, further including a stacker plateassembly having a series of spaced stacker plates movable into thecard-receiving compartments in said auxiliary receptacle and shiftablein a direction to group the cards collected in each compartment in saidauxiliary receptacle to one end of each compartment for return of thecards to one end of the stack of cards in each compartment in themainreceptacle.

5. In apparatus according to claim 1, each of said divider means in saidauxiliary receptacle being defined by a divider plate having notches inopposite ends thereof to align with notches in opposite ends of each ofthe cards, and gripping means extending lengthwise along opposite sidesof said auxiliary receptacle and being selectively movable inwardly in adirection transversely of the length of said auxiliary receptacle intothe notches in opposite ends of said divider plates to releasably retainthose cards in the auxiliary receptacles which were separated from themain receptacle.

6. In apparatus according to claim in which said gripping means are eachdefined by elongated rods traversing the full length of the auxiliaryreceptacle with opposite ends disposed in rod-receiving spaces inopposite ends of the receptacle, and means at each end of the receptaclefor yieldingly retaining said rods in an inward gripping position and anoutward released position away from the ends of the cards in theauxiliary receptacle.

7. In apparatus according to claim 1 further including braking means forselectively braking said main and auxiliary receptacles in a positionsuch that the cards separated from the main receptacle will fall intothe compartments in the auxiliary receptacles.

8. Apparatus for sequentially sorting punch cards of to representdifferent numbers, the combination comprising:

an enclosure including an access opening therein; centrifugal drivemeans including a drive shaft journaled for rotation within saidenclosure; card storage receptacle of elongated rectangularconfiguration keyed for rotation on said drive shaft including aplurality of divider plates disposed in said receptacle to form a seriesof card-receiving compartments therein, the cards being stacked in saidcompartments transversely of the axis of rotation, at least one sortingrod extending longitudinally within selected guide openings in thedivider plates, the guide openings being aligned with the openings atnotches in the cards whereby those cards having notches aligned withsorting rods are free to move outwardly from the receptacle under thecentrifugal force of rotation of said drive shaft;

and an auxiliary receptacle substantially corresponding in length andwidth to said storage receptacle, said auxiliary receptacle includingdivider plates forming card-receiving compartments corresponding to andaligned with those in said storage receptacle, the divider plates havinggrooves in opposite sides thereof, and card-engaging rods extendinglongitudinally of said auxiliary receptacle and movable transversely ofsaid auxiliary receptacle into and away from the grooves in said dividerplates, means releasably connecting said auxiliary receptacle formovement between a closed position in which said auxiliary compartmentsare aligned with the card-receiving compartments in said storagereceptacle so as to permit the cards separated from the storagecompartments to be received in the auxiliary compartments and an openposition in which the auxiliary receptacle is pivotal about one side ofsaid storage receptacle toward the access opening so as to'permit accessto the separated cards in the auxiliary receptacle.

9. Card-sorting apparatus according to claim 8, said centrifugal drivemeans including braking means for selectively braking said receptaclesagainst rotation in a position in which the card separated from thestorage receptacle will be stacked in the compartments in said auxiliaryreceptacle.

10.'Card-sorting apparatus according to claim 9, said braking meansincluding a solenoid-actuated brake member in which said brake member isreleased upon energization of said solenoid and braked upondeenergization of said solenoid, and limit switch means to selectivelydeenergize said solenoid when said receptacles have advanced into apredetermined position in which the cards will remain in the auxiliaryreceptacle.

ll. Card-sorting apparatus according to claim 8 further including cardstacking means selectively movable in a direction longitudinally of saidauxiliary receptacle to stack and group the cards separated from thestorage receptacle towards the ends of the compartments in saidauxiliary receptacle as a preliminary to return of said cards into oneend of the compartments in the storage receptacle.

12. The method of sequentially sorting punch cards of the type havingmarginal openings and notches along one edge thereof, the notches beingformed in different combinations at selected intervals along the edge ofeach card in accordance with a numerical code to represent differentgiven numbers, and wherein the cards are stacked in a series ofcard-receivingstorage compartments and selected cards of a particularnumber or group of numbers are removable from the storage compartmentsby insertion of sorting members through the openings or notches in thecards whereby the cards having sorting members passing only through thenotches are free to be separated from the stacked cards in the storagecompartments comprising the steps of:

placing a series of auxiliary compartments in a position to receive thecards as they are separated from i the storage compartments;

spinning the cards in the storage compartments to impart a directionalforce thereto causing those cards having notches aligned with thesorting members to be separated from the storage compartments and to becollected in the auxiliary compartments; gripping the cards collectedwhereby to releasably retain them in the auxiliary compartments;

stacking the cards collected in the auxiliary compartments against oneend of each auxiliary compartment while stacking the remaining cards notseparated against the opposite end of each corresponding storagecompartment;

positioning the auxiliary compartments such thatthe cards collectedtherein are moved partially into the ends of the storage compartmentsopposite to the end in which the remaining cards not separated aregrouped together; and

followed by releasing the cards collected for return movement into thestorage compartments at the end of each stack of cards therein.

13. The method according to claim 12 in which the cards are separated ina predetermined numbered sequence by successively repeating the stepsrecited therein and in each succession of steps selectively placing thesorting cards in different openings corresponding with each differentnumber to be separated.

14. The method according to claim 13 in which each number is representedby two or more notches formed at selected intervals along the edge ofthe card.

1. In card sorting apparatus for sorting cards of the type havingmarginal openings and selected marginal notches wherein each cardincludes the same aggregate number of notches and openings equallyspaced along the edge, the cards being stacked on edge in a receptaclehaving guide openings aligned with the openings and notches in the cardsfor insertion of one or more sorting rods therethrough, divider meansdividing the receptacle into a plurality of card-receiving compartments,means for imparting a directional force to the cards to cause the cardshaving the sorting rods passing through the notches only to be advancedoutwardly through the receptacle away from the stacked cards, theimprovement comprising: an auxiliary receptacle secured to the main cardreceptacle and provided with divider means forming card-receivingcompartments aligned opposite to the compartments in the mainreceptacle, said auxiliary receptacle movable between a closed positionin facing relation to the main receptacle whereby the cards separatedfrom the compartments in the main receptacle will be received in alignedcompartments of the auxiliary receptacle and an open position permittingaccess to the separated cards in the auxiliary receptacle and throughthe main receptacle.
 2. In apparatus for sequentially sorting cardsaccording to claim 1 said auxiliary receptacle corresponding in lengthand width to the main receptacle and being pivotally attached to themain receptacle.
 3. In apparatus according to claim 2, a housing forsaid main and auxiliary receptacles, said housing including a windowopening extending in spaced parallel relation to the axis of rotation ofsaid receptacle, said auxiliary receptacle being movable from a closedposition within the housing to an open position extending outwardlythrough the window opening.
 4. In apparatus according to claim 1,further including a stacker plate assembly having a series of spacedstacker plates movable into the card-receiving compartments in saidauxiliary receptacle and shiftable in a direction to group the cardscollected in each compartment in said auxiliary receptacle to one end ofeach compartment for return of the cards to one end of the stack ofcards in each compartment in the main receptacle.
 5. In apparatusaccording to claim 1, each of said divider means in said auxiliaryreceptacle being defined by a divider plate having notches in oppositeends thereof to align with notches in opposite ends of each of thecards, and gripping means extending lengthwise along opposite sides ofsaid auxiliary receptacle and being selectively movable inwardly in adirection transversely of the length of said auxiliary receptacle intothe notches in opposite ends of said divider plates to releasably retainthose cards in the auxiliary receptacles which were separated from themain receptacle.
 6. In apparatus according to claim 5 in which saidgripping means are each defined by elongated rods traversing the fulllength of the auxiliary receptacle with opposite ends disposed inrod-receiving spaces in opposite ends of the receptacle, and means ateach end of the receptacle for yieldingly retaining said rods in aninward gripping position and an outward released position Away from theends of the cards in the auxiliary receptacle.
 7. In apparatus accordingto claim 1 further including braking means for selectively braking saidmain and auxiliary receptacles in a position such that the cardsseparated from the main receptacle will fall into the compartments inthe auxiliary receptacles.
 8. Apparatus for sequentially sorting punchcards of the type having marginal openings and selected marginal notcheswherein the notches are formed at selected intervals in accordance witha numerical code to represent different numbers, the combinationcomprising: an enclosure including an access opening therein;centrifugal drive means including a drive shaft journaled for rotationwithin said enclosure; a card storage receptacle of elongatedrectangular configuration keyed for rotation on said drive shaftincluding a plurality of divider plates disposed in said receptacle toform a series of card-receiving compartments therein, the cards beingstacked in said compartments transversely of the axis of rotation, atleast one sorting rod extending longitudinally within selected guideopenings in the divider plates, the guide openings being aligned withthe openings at notches in the cards whereby those cards having notchesaligned with sorting rods are free to move outwardly from the receptacleunder the centrifugal force of rotation of said drive shaft; and anauxiliary receptacle substantially corresponding in length and width tosaid storage receptacle, said auxiliary receptacle including dividerplates forming card-receiving compartments corresponding to and alignedwith those in said storage receptacle, the divider plates having groovesin opposite sides thereof, and card-engaging rods extendinglongitudinally of said auxiliary receptacle and movable transversely ofsaid auxiliary receptacle into and away from the grooves in said dividerplates, means releasably connecting said auxiliary receptacle formovement between a closed position in which said auxiliary compartmentsare aligned with the card-receiving compartments in said storagereceptacle so as to permit the cards separated from the storagecompartments to be received in the auxiliary compartments and an openposition in which the auxiliary receptacle is pivotal about one side ofsaid storage receptacle toward the access opening so as to permit accessto the separated cards in the auxiliary receptacle.
 9. Card-sortingapparatus according to claim 8, said centrifugal drive means includingbraking means for selectively braking said receptacles against rotationin a position in which the card separated from the storage receptaclewill be stacked in the compartments in said auxiliary receptacle. 10.Card-sorting apparatus according to claim 9, said braking meansincluding a solenoid-actuated brake member in which said brake member isreleased upon energization of said solenoid and braked upondeenergization of said solenoid, and limit switch means to selectivelydeenergize said solenoid when said receptacles have advanced into apredetermined position in which the cards will remain in the auxiliaryreceptacle.
 11. Card-sorting apparatus according to claim 8 furtherincluding card stacking means selectively movable in a directionlongitudinally of said auxiliary receptacle to stack and group the cardsseparated from the storage receptacle towards the ends of thecompartments in said auxiliary receptacle as a preliminary to return ofsaid cards into one end of the compartments in the storage receptacle.12. The method of sequentially sorting punch cards of the type havingmarginal openings and notches along one edge thereof, the notches beingformed in different combinations at selected intervals along the edge ofeach card in accordance with a numerical code to represent differentgiven numbers, and wherein the cards are stacked in a series ofcard-receiving storage compartments and selected cards of a particularnumber or group of numbers are removable from the stOrage compartmentsby insertion of sorting members through the openings or notches in thecards whereby the cards having sorting members passing only through thenotches are free to be separated from the stacked cards in the storagecompartments comprising the steps of: placing a series of auxiliarycompartments in a position to receive the cards as they are separatedfrom the storage compartments; spinning the cards in the storagecompartments to impart a directional force thereto causing those cardshaving notches aligned with the sorting members to be separated from thestorage compartments and to be collected in the auxiliary compartments;gripping the cards collected whereby to releasably retain them in theauxiliary compartments; stacking the cards collected in the auxiliarycompartments against one end of each auxiliary compartment whilestacking the remaining cards not separated against the opposite end ofeach corresponding storage compartment; positioning the auxiliarycompartments such that the cards collected therein are moved partiallyinto the ends of the storage compartments opposite to the end in whichthe remaining cards not separated are grouped together; and followed byreleasing the cards collected for return movement into the storagecompartments at the end of each stack of cards therein.
 13. The methodaccording to claim 12 in which the cards are separated in apredetermined numbered sequence by successively repeating the stepsrecited therein and in each succession of steps selectively placing thesorting cards in different openings corresponding with each differentnumber to be separated.
 14. The method according to claim 13 in whicheach number is represented by two or more notches formed at selectedintervals along the edge of the card.